Olympic Exploration
Introduction
The Olympics represent a global celebration of the most exceptional athletes worldwide, promoting the values of peace and unity. Winning a gold medal for one’s country is the ultimate honor for any athlete. This impressive accomplishment may be attributed to apparent variables, such as an athlete’s physical traits or the type of Olympics (summer or winter), as well as less apparent factors. In this blog, we investigate whether a country’s total GDP and population impact the number of medals won at the Olympics. Our goal is to enhance our comprehension of the factors that contribute to a country’s success in the games and share this information in the hope of leveling the playing field.
USA Medal Count by Type
The medal time graph above presents the number of medals that the United States has won during each Olympic year, providing insight into the country’s performance at the global athletic event. The graph displays steep curves that indicate the fluctuations in medal counts between the summer and winter Olympics. The United States tends to win more medals during the summer Olympics compared to the winter Olympics. It is essential to note the outliers of this trend, such as the 1904 Olympics held in St. Louis, MO. During these games, the majority of the athletes were Americans, resulting in the US winning a significant number of medals. This was also due to limited transportation options at the time, as boats were the primary mode of travel for most countries to reach the games. Another peak in medal count can be observed during the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, CA, as many communist nations (e.g., Soviet Union) boycotted the games, providing the United States with a greater opportunity to secure more medals.
USA Medal Count by Gender
The medal time graph above illustrates the historical medal count for USA Females and USA Males in the Olympics. While the graph indicates that men have won more medals than women, it is crucial to note the distinction between the two lines. Although the blue line (representing Men) is generally above the pink line (representing Women), over time, the gap between the two lines has narrowed. This indicates that in the late 1900s, the performance of men and women in terms of medaling became more similar. In contrast, during the early 1900s, American Men dominated the majority of US medals. This trend signifies the emergence of women in athletics at the international level.
2016 Olympic Data Analysis
The graph above depicts the relationship between a country’s GDP and its medal count at the 2016 Olympic Games. It is evident that a significant cluster of countries with low GDP and low medal count exists, indicating that many small countries were not large medal winners. The data suggests that only two countries, the United States and China, managed to surpass the 50 medal count threshold, which correlates with their relatively high GDP. Additionally, the size of the points on the graph corresponds to a country’s population, but it is clear that population is not as predictive of medal count as GDP. This is evident as there are large and small points at both ends of the y-axis (medal count).
GDP and Population Country Maps (2010)
GDP
This map displays Total GDP in 2010 for countries around the world. Lighter shades indicate a lower total GDP, while darker shades represent a higher GDP. Countries such as China, The United States of America, and Japan are among the countries with the highest Total GDP. Users can hover over the country of their choice to identify the country’s name and its Total GDP.
Population
This map displays populations for countries around the world in 2010. Lighter shades indicate a relatively low population, while dark shades indicate a relatively high population. China and India are among the countries with the highest total population by a considerable margin. Users can hover over the country of their choice to identify the country’s name and its population.